I.O.A.D.J

My mentor and amazing writer (see interview below) Bonnie Hearn Hill taught me this particular phrase. It means "It's only a day job." I have it on a post-it just behind the ninja. Sometimes, when I get really stressed out about things here, I have to glance at that and remind myself that this isn't my real gig. Being a locksmith is awesome. Don't get me wrong. It's the perfect day job for somebody who is trying to break through into the Steampunk world. But working for the state of California, being at work by 7:00 AM, dealing with the whining masses who demand that which they don't understand...I'm thinking that's all temporary. I mean, I think most of us hope that the grueling 8-5 junk goes away after a bit. I plan on making it go away faster.
Sometimes, you really do get caught up in the boring traffic. I know I do. You lose sight of your true destination and end up sightseeing, getting lost or running errands when you're supposed to be somewhere else. That's how I feel about fiction writing. It's the ultimate destination. It's the goal. It's me walking off into the sunset while the end credits roll and an epic 80's hairband rock ballad plays.
I apologize for not posting lately. I got distracted. Actually, if you want the real truth of it, I've been revising and re-writing things that actually ARE productive, so if my fingers were moving across the keys and Steampunk science fiction wasn't coming out, I felt as though I was running in place. But I think I'm back. Ready to stay focused and not lose track of the real reason I'm alive.
I.O.A.D.J. It's only the thing that provides me food, shelter and a place to sleep so that I can write without allowing rain to smear the ink or pass out from anemia. A means to an end. :)

Guest blog, Bonnie Hearn Hill

Please extend a very warm welcome to my friend and mentor, Bonnie Hearn Hill. Bonnie worked as a newspaper editor for twenty-two years, and has written several thrillers for MIRA, as well as the young adult "Star Crossed" series. Her newest book, GHOST ISLAND, is available now.

SL: You followed six international thrillers by three young adult astrology novels, and now, a paranormal young adult. Why GHOST ISLAND and why now?

BHH: I wanted to write a love story. More than that, I wanted to explore what we’re willing to do and willing to believe for love. Although it is a young adult book, I have heard from many adult readers who say they relate to it. The story question is: Will Livia and Aaron get together, even though she can only see him in her dreams, and even though he may well be a ghost?

SL: The book is set during a storm on Catalina Island, which is kind of spooky anyway. Must have been fun researching.

BHH: I spent time there many years ago, and the moment I sailed into Avalon Harbor, I knew I would write about it one day. Many believe the island is haunted, but I learned that only after I had written the book.

SL: You have been teaching writing since 1990. How many authors have you helped break into print?

BHH: Hundreds, and I’m talking books and articles, not letters to the editor. That means only that I’ve been doing this a long time. In my first eight-week class back in 1990, one of the students sold a magazine article, and I knew that I was meant to teach as well as write. I started with The Tuesdays, most of whom are published now. My private group, the Fridays, include humorous astrology writer Hazel Dixon-Cooper, psychologist Dennis C. Lewis, and Christopher Allan Poe, whose thriller, THE PORTAL, will publish next month. I now lead a small group known as The Mondays, and they/you are a talented bunch.

SL: We are certainly grateful to have you. What attracts you to teaching?

BHH: You, Stacy, and other talented writers such as the ones in your family. They give me hope, and working with them makes me a better writer. Twenty-two years passed between the writing of my first novel and the signing of my two back-to-back, three-book contracts. I had the passion and the dedication, but I lacked a mentor. If I have a strength as a teacher, it’s the ability to see what the writer intends, not what I would do if this were my story.

I don’t leave editorial fingerprints. If a writer is willing, I can show her or him what’s left out. I call it the missing 5 percent, and I don’t mean that literally, only that it’s probably something small. Maybe it’s point-of-view control. Maybe it’s scene structure. Maybe it’s the ability to create honest characters. It may be one thing, but until you know what it is, you will not be able to write believable fiction.

SL: *Blushes* Thank you Bonnie, you are a wonderful editor who has taught me a thing or two. What is the most important thing you can give a writer?

BHH: Time. The ones who are going to do it—and I have to tell you, the percentage is small—will do it anyway. I can help them save the years I wasted.

That leads me to an important question, what’s the biggest mistake writers make?

Dishonesty, at a soul level. If you can’t be honest with you about you, there is no way that you can create honest characters. Plot problems are almost always character problems, and dishonesty is at the root of most of them. I have never met a dishonest person, regardless of how talented, who could write compelling fiction.

SL: What’s the second-biggest mistake?

BHH: They give up too soon. Most of that is ego and a need for instant gratification, and believe me, I understand that. I must have had a hundred rejections before I found my agent. Maybe more. You can’t let rejection stop you. You have to be open to input. You have to believe in yourself. And you have to know that if you are serious about what you are doing, your time will come—and it will be the right time.

Very wise and timely words. What is the state of the industry right now, and how is that affecting writers? Are e-books really the next step?

The Big Machine of mainstream publishing is broken. It has been for some time, but with the success of e-books, it’s clear that the filter is no longer the Big Machine, but the reader. Some successful authors have turned down large advances in order to go with independent publishers. Why should they give up most of their profits because of the publisher’s investment in distribution? E-books are distributed 24-7, at no charge. Be assured that what I just said is not an excuse to cop out and self-publish just because you can’t find a publisher. You still need editors, and if you are lucky, you need an agent who understands the importance of editing and promotion. You’ve been in my home, Stacy, and you know that it is wall-to-wall books. I’m not throwing them out because I own a Kindle. I’m not throwing out the Kindle because I own and love books. Poetry books, art books, photography books, special books. They will always be part of our lives. I have been a published writer since I was 19 years old, and I have never experienced anything as positive and profitable for writers as what I am witnessing right now.

SL: Okay, Bonn, we’re friends. Tell me something that most people don’t know about you. Tell me something I don’t know about you.

BHH: I wear a lot of purple.

SL: Sigh. Try again.

BHH: I was one of the first six readers—and the first woman—on KVPR’s Valley Writers Read first broadcast in the 1980s. I am a community correspondent for KMPH Great Day with Kim and Kopi. I write an occasional short story. And I wear a lot of purple.

SL: You can pull it off. What’s next?

BHH: More books. I’m editing a thriller right now. I’m intrigued about the possibility of another novel about Livia and Aaron.

SL: Thanks for taking the time to speak with me. What should I be doing right now to further my own writing career?

BHH: Four things, Stacy, and they can change your writing and your life. 1. Get up an hour early every morning, and give that best part of the day to your work. In other words, write every day, at least six days a week. 2. Read every day, even if for only thirty minutes. 3. Get out of your comfort zone. Do something you wouldn’t usually do, even if it’s driving across town to a different grocery store. 4. Put a sticky note in a visible place in your office. IOADJ. It’s only a day job. Do it, Stacy, and report back to me in a month. Deal?

Deal. Thanks again for chatting with us, you are a fabulous mentor.

Bonnie will be signing copies of GHOST ISLAND this Saturday, October 1, at the Barnes & Noble in Fresno, from 2-4 p.m.

You can check out the trailer for the book here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKFiX21kJO8

Pressing Send

Meredith recently posted about diving into the querying pool, and I especially liked how she described it as positive forward motion. She said that querying means you’re a finisher, and I agree.

Over the last few months, I made some revisions after getting feedback from agent submissions. It ended up being a summer break from querying, but I must admit, it felt good. Like Meredith said, querying is a little soul crushing. But after my vacation, I’m ready to jump in (I think.)

How do you know when your manuscript is ready to send out? It’s not an easy decision to make. My advice, for what it’s worth:

1. Revise, revise, revise. Your first version isn’t ready, no matter how much you want it to be. Get as many beta readers as possible, and take their advice seriously. Even after several reads by different people, I was making adjustments. And it is better for it.

2. Do your homework. Know what genre your book is, and which agents are accepting queries in that genre. I believe in querying widely, but it makes no sense to me to send a historical romance to an agent accepting only YA. Learn how to write a query letter, for that matter. (Hint, it shouldn’t be three pages long.)

3. Join a critique group, and go to conferences. Keep your finger on the pulse of the industry. Things are changing all the time, and none of us can afford to be out of touch.

4. Finally, have a good system of keeping track of where your at. Query Tracker is great for tracking the queries you sent out, but a good ole’ pen and paper will work too. Just don’t make the mistake of sending it to an agent twice, or *gasp* spelling their name wrong or calling her “Mr.” Although, I’m sure it has happened to all of us *blush.*

A wise person once said, the only way there is through it. Even though some days are hard, I know it will all be worth it.

Family Ties

We’re back from a small break from blogging. Life has gotten crazy this summer, and I’m trying to check off all of the tasks I set aside for the last few months. Top of the list: get back to blogging!

This blog really is a family affair. Meredith and I are first cousins, and Kara is our aunt (even though she isn’t that much older than us!) That's a picture of us with our friend and mentor, Bonnie Hearn Hill, and Kara's daughter (and future bestseller) Kateri. Our cousin A.J. will also be posting here in the near future, and he just finished his first manuscript, a middle grade fantasy. We’re excited to get his (male) input and have him share his writing experiences.

So does writing run in families? The Brontë sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne, come to mind. They made up the famous nineteenth century writing family who gave us Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights (one of my favorite books) among others. Charlotte was the first to have success, and the others followed. The Brontës are said to have been very close and developed elaborate stories in childhood.

I didn’t grow up writing with my family, I was pretty private and shy about my stories. But I was surprised and excited when I found out that so many of us were not only writing, but working on whole novels at the same time. And it got me to thinking, is creativity something that you are born with?

I think that no matter what, a writer has to have perseverance and stamina. There is a lot of rejection and it takes a lot of work to get to publication. With a writing family, there is a built in support system, and we have helped each other each step of the way. But I can’t help but wonder, is it in our blood—or something in the water?

Beating Down the Blank Page

“I can fix anything but a blank page.” –Bonnie Hearn Hill

There is much wisdom in this statement. How can you edit something that doesn’t even exist? You can’t become a bestseller without ever putting the words on the page. That statement might seem extreme, but it’s true. The hardest part of writing is getting something down.

Upon telling a friend recently that I had written a book and was currently in the querying process, she said, “I couldn’t possibly write a book. I don’t have the time!” Truth be told, I didn’t know whether it was a compliment or an insult. Why did I have time to do it, and yet she didn’t? Am I really as busy as I think?

Then I realized that self sabotage is a sneaky little devil. So sneaky, in fact, that you don’t even realize that he has snuck up and dropped a two ton sack of rocks on you, just like they do in the cartoons. Except that instead of a cloud of stars over your head, it is a cloud of doubt. And excuses. No time. It’s too hard. No one would ever publish it.

It was a good reminder to take some time every day to move forward on this journey. Because it’s way too easy to get caught up with life and make excuses instead of face down that little devil called self doubt. Suck it up, dig down deep, and get that story out you know you were born to write.

So, fellow writers, what is it that keeps you from writing? Is it fear of failure? My wish for you today and every day is that you beat down that blank page.

One page at a time.

Beta Readers

I have to admit, this is kind of a sticky subject for me. When I first started to write, I couldn’t imagine showing my work to anybody else. What if they rejected it? I kept my writing a secret and didn’t share it with anyone.

Then I joined a critique group, and I realized that there is an amazing, supportive group of people out there who are willing to read your work and offer advice and encouragement. It was amazing to see my critique partners grow and improve with each passing week. Instead of being embarrassed, we saw the value of sharing our work in a supportive environment.

BHH says that people commit self-sabotage sometimes, and I think there is something to be said for that. Maybe I was sabotaging myself by holding onto my writing all of that time and refusing to let it go free, to either sink or swim. Maybe I was afraid of failure. Or that I might actually succeed. Whatever the case, I set myself back that much further. Thank God I found the courage to join that group.

But this was supposed to be about beta readers.

Now that I’m in the querying process, I have gotten braver about sharing my work. I’m still extremely careful about who I give it to, trying to select people who I know read a lot and like mysteries, although that isn’t a must. The most important thing to me is that I know they will actually read what I give them and offer constructive feedback. For the most part, the friends I have trusted with my work have been great, and I have no regrets.

So, I’m curious, do you guys use beta readers? If so, what has your experience been like?

Have a great writing week!

Carousel.

Carousels can be beautiful, mystical and even a little creepy. The hand-carved wooden sculptures have detail you don't often see in anything nowadays. You can just envision an elderly man with an oversized lense, chiseling away at the curvatures against the neck of the beast. The university I locksmith at had a crisis in their library, where they keep their monthly displays. It just so happened to be featuring pieces from carousels. It struck me that they're very Steampunky, or have the potential to be at least. Pardon the poor photos. They were taken with my outdated Blackberry and in secret because I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be taking pictures. I'm paranoid about that sort of thing. To the left, they just had a little bit of information about the influence of carousels and what cultures they came from. Some of the images are almost grotesque and macabre, which to me, makes it more interesting.

I would love to ride a tiger into the sunset, I don't know about you. I also like the sketch of the dragon. To the right, this is probably my favorite because it looks the most SP. I love the colors used as well as the textures. If I was a kid skipping toward a carousel, I'd like to think I'd choose this guy. I think I'll name him Archibald.


One of my favorite aspects to this inspiring display is definitely the variety of animals saddled. There was a rooster, a dragon, lion, and even a greyhound. In fantasy, animals usually play a key part because we love animals and wish we could interact more with them. Horses are wonderful but how magical would it be to ride a greyhound? I love it.
To the left, it showed how a carousel worked. I think if you jazzed it up with some steam and a few more gears, you may have something "futuristic" as viewed by the mild-mannered Victorian. Maybe throw in some bronze-plated horses like Archibald and wallah. You've got yourself a Steampunk scene either macabre or romantic or BOTH. I think a really nice, dark love scene on a carousel would be interesting, especially if there was a lot of angst involved or perhaps some underlying surface tension with a preceding chase so that the characters are in hiding. I absolutely love the use of the carousel in the movie Sting. That eerie song that's meant to be cheerful and playful adds something mysterious and borderline freaky to the goings on in the foreground.
I've been inspired to put one in by book. I think it will add a little flavor.

Merry writing.

I hear voices...

“I had a feeling he didn’t love me anymore, she thought, but this is ridiculous.”

A quote from SKINNY DIP by Carl Hiaasen, which I read this weekend. What makes it especially funny is that the thought goes through the main character’s head after she is tossed overboard from a cruise ship by her no good husband. The book is campy to the extreme, but talk about voice. It was unlike anything else I’d ever read, and laugh out loud funny in several spots.

Voice is something I have been thinking about a lot lately. In the research I’ve been doing during the querying process, it seems to be one of the most important qualities that agents are looking for in a writer’s work. It’s also one of the hardest things to nail. Without a strong voice, the words float on the page like a dead fish.

My main character is on the snarky and funny side, but I honestly cannot remember how she came to be that way. I knew when I sat down to write my book that no shrinking violet would do for me. A feisty lead is way more interesting. But somehow her personality evolved as I kept writing. If I went back and looked at my character letters, I’m sure it would be clear how she evolved to be the character she is. And just how I got to that distinctive voice that is all her own.

So I’m curious, dear readers, how do you come up with the voice in your work—or do you know?

Love Me Violently

Writing YA means a couple of things. One? You gotta have romance. Why? Well to begin with, kids’ hormones are going haywire, and you have to appeal to their coming-of-age with the whole sexuality thing. Besides, all of us have that adolescent inside of us, wanting to meet an interesting new boy/girl who is edgy and misunderstood. Twilight capitalized on this for crying out loud.

I am not a good romance writer, mostly because I have my own androgyny issues to deal with. (See profile picture.) However, I am a romantic at heart and I do like boys a great deal more than girls (even as friends.) So my problem is keying into my fascination with relationships and combining it with my firm belief that friendships blossom into compelling romantic relationships if done the right way. Friends see each other as equals far more than lovers. And you don’t have that messy obsession factor or the problem of adoration, which pretty much irks me to death. At the same time, I personally need to be carful because the characters must be accessible to the teenage mind, therefore making them accessible to adult minds as well. (We’ve all been there.) I remember getting unbelievably excited reading that Harry and Ginny were going to be together. And I was in college then.

As I learned in my critique group with Bonnie Hearn Hill (she’s amazing), the best sexual tension emanates from conflict. The boy and the girl fight and battle. Not to the point where it’s unrealistic that they’d be together, but rather that fascinating dynamic that comes from two people who enjoy locking horns. I mean to capture that. I hope I do.

Happy Writing!

-Meredith

Insanity is delicious!

Give me one assignment and I WILL mess it up. Wednesdays are my Scriptor Familia designation and I forgot. Lounged around eating graham crackers and peanut butter watching Mystery Science Theater and neglected to make my weekly contribution.
I've heard people say that writers are insane. I've also heard it said that writers live entirely in their own heads, which is often why they're more comfortable with silence and seclusion than the average bear. I fit well into this category, especially the part about insanity and dwelling in my own cerebrum.
I think that's why it's unbelievable that we can all function in the day-to-day world at all. We have entire alternate realities spinning around in our heads. I talk out scenes with my characters in hushed murmurs when I'm doing activities and sometimes forget that other people exist (flesh and blood people) and find talking to yourself offsetting.
I was watching a Giants game where my future husband was pitching. He was up on the mound and his lips were moving. The commentators started making all kinds of excuses for him. "Oh, uh...he's talking to himself...probably saying this or that..." I was sitting there with the neck of a cold beer clasped in my indignant hand. "WHAT? He can talk to himself. I would be. The poor guy can't even talk to himself?!"
No, it's socially unacceptable for your lips to be moving and a blue tooth not hooked over your ear. For this reason, I once had a blue tooth and put it on just so I could get away with talking to myself at a normal tone of voice or in my vehicle. The only problem with that is when you start slipping into a manly British accent and gesticulating madly before lapsing into a feathery, feminine voice that answers the previous voice's questions...the blue tooth doesn't exactly take you as far as you need to go in terms of providing mental credibility.
Which is why it's sometimes advisable to not give a crap what people think. Once and a while, I forget that I'm living on planet Earth and all of these amusing creatures weren't actually created for my amusement alone.
Another example is Duwayne. He is a Chipotle employee who I find infinitely amusing. He's lackadaisical, has a long ponytail and jokes around with people who come through the line. Well, Duwayne stopped coming into Chipotle and we were depressed. This creature we had practically invented had disappeared. So I go in late one night and catch sight of a ponytail through the window. Lo and behold, Duwayne was there! I was so excited that I stood in line with my mouth in an opened grin and my hands out like, "It's you!" Duwayne was salting the rice and he slowly looked up and stared at me. It took me a good 30 seconds to realize that Duwayne and I are not old friends, he doesn't know we have an entire back story made up for him and this entire exchange probably appears bizarre and possibly creepy. Duwayne's name is not Duwayne, he has his own life that I didn't write and any other character qualities I've dreamed up exist in my brain only.
So yes, I agree that writers do have a certain level of insanity. We have to, in order to be creative. We have to view the world in narrative, with the colors just a little brighter and just a little more vivid than the standard 9-5er.
LIVE LONG AND PROSPER, WRITERS.

Dear You. It's Me again.

Yesterday, a magical thing happened. I saw a piece of binder paper shoved back in my overhead cubicle cabinet. It looked like a kid had ripped it out of a notebook and folded it up with the intention of giving it to a friend or keeping it in her hope chest for safe keeping.
I was bewildered. What in the world is this?
I took it out and unfolded it. There, in clumsy handwriting, was a letter to me from Ana Bardwell, my protagonist. She started off telling me about her mother and her poor relationship with her. I read, charmed the whole time. Ana can be charming in an irreverant, childish way even though she's eighteen years old and needs to start acting like an adult.

I believe we've discussed this before on this blog, but I can't stress enough the value of character letters. Every good piece of literature has characters you can't forget even if you try. When people talk about Pride and Prejudice, do they talk about the plot as much as they talk about that irresistible Mr. Darcy? In Harry Potter, are people entranced with the typical good vs. evil fight or Dumbledore and Fred and George Weasley? What attaches us to Catcher in the Rye? What's the plot of that book? Um...a guy walks around and does stuff for a day. We're enthralled with Holden Caulfield, aren't we?
Most of the time, when I'm in a jam, it's because I don't know or understand one of my characters. It's taken me years to understand Ana. She used to be a subservient, passive creature who never did anything proactive. The plot revolved around her while she sat there. Needless to say, the book was unpublishable.
If you're stuck, the best thing to do for many people is to write a letter to you from one of your characters. This technique has written entire scenes for me! At the end of the day, you'll be looking at a document that comes directly from the heart of your character and doesn't seem familiar to your personal style.
Our characters are more than just helpless vessels we use to drive the plot. They can rise up from the ink and become flesh and blood, just as an actor transforms into a make-believe identity spawned from the imagination of a screenwriter. Our characters aren't us. We aren't interesting enough for that. They are their own individual creatures sent to charm, seduce, intrigue, warm, inspire and even anger. Just like regular humans.

A Time for Writing...

I must admit, a conversation with my blog partners inspired this post. Mare was saying that summertime is treating her well for writing, and I know Kara finds summer best to write. And it got me to thinking how many writers I have come across have mentioned that there is a particular time of year that they feel most inspired or productive. From my experience, it seems that many writers like wintertime best. Maybe because cold, rainy weather keeps us inside with no excuses but to sit at the computer.

I fall into the winter crowd myself. Don’t get me wrong, I can meet a deadline, but I think part of the problem with summer for me is that my house seems to be a gathering place for friends and family (it isn’t hard to do the math, we have lots of 100+ days, and I have a pool.) I’m also a night owl, and the heat zaps me in the summer and I find myself getting less done in the evening after a long summer day.

Which begs another topic. Do you write best in the morning, afternoon or evening? My writing group has a motto, “Write First.” In other words, get the words on the paper before you do anything else. It is a principle I’ve tried to abide by without much success, probably because of my night-owlness and because I’m always thinking of what else I need to get done. I have been trying to get back to it lately. Because those dishes in the sink or load of laundry can wait…but will that idea? Probably not worth the risk.

Special Saturday Post! You Have Issues...

I have issues, you have issues, everyone has issues. Especially our characters, hopefully.

I belong to a weekly critique group led by the amazingly talented Thriller and YA writer, Bonnie Hearn Hill. She says that everyone has a hole in their heart that really lends to who they are, and is what motivates their actions. She always wants to know what our characters “hole” is. This has been so helpful in my writing and in creating authentic back stories for my characters.

Why is it so important for your characters to have issues? Well, I think most importantly, because it makes them empathetic. It’s hard to like someone who’s perfect, or read about them, because for one their not interesting, and secondly, because we can’t relate. We read because we want to see ourselves on paper, and we want to see the characters making the same kinds of mistakes, and having the same kinds of problems we do.

It’s human.

It’s kind of like how some women tend to always go for the bad boy. Why do they do it? Because they see vulnerability within them. Take Captain Kirk in the most recent Star Trek movie. He was definitely a bad boy, but he was an empathetic character because we knew that the reason he was having such a hard time was because his dad died when he was young, his mom was always away on other planets, yada, yada, yada…and we liked him despite his actions because we believed he was really good on the inside. He has issues, and once we saw that, we started to root for him (well, and Chris Pine is sort of gorgeous….)

So anyway, if you have a character who is seemingly perfect, you better rethink that. Give them some character flaws, create some back story, and you’ll go from making your characters flat to round.

-Kara

Get Inspired.

People have asked me what inspired me to write my first book, and honestly, it is a difficult question for me to answer. I think inspiration can come from anywhere, and often out of the blue. It might be a song, a movie or a trip to the beach. No matter where I go, I take along a notebook so that I can jot down notes if something hits me. I’ve even met a character out and about that I didn’t know was in the book! Very strange when that happens.

I mentioned in my first post that I changed the setting when I rewrote my book. I will be the first to admit that I was a little reluctant at first, having pictured my characters in one locale for so long. But the truth is, once I accepted it, that change of scenery made everything come alive.

I set the story at the beach, in a place my grandparents lived when I was growing up and had traveled to many times. So many ideas and characters came to me that I had no problem finishing the new version of the book. In fact, I spent a little time in the place where my fictional town is set just for research (not hard, believe me it is gorgeous there) and even more ideas came to me.

I think that no matter what, it’s about beating down the blank page. So when inspiration finds you, seize it and don’t let go until that idea is down on the page.

So, what inspires you?

I think someone is plotting something.

Let’s talk about plot. I’m working on my next project, and getting acquainted with characters who have been floating around my head for a while. Naturally, I’m trying to flesh out the plot and figure out just what their story is.

How much did you know about your book before you sat down at the computer? Did an idea come to you and you sat down and ran with it? Or did you meticulously plot out every chapter before you even started?

For my first novel, I fell somewhere in between. I had a good idea of where my manuscript was going, but my outline was very rough. In fact, the person who turned out to be the killer in the end wasn’t who I thought they would be when I started. Too obvious, for starters. A rookie mistake.

I think a manuscript is a living, breathing thing that changes as time goes on. That can be a hard concept to come to terms with when you are writing a murder mystery and you have to have a certain idea of where your book is going. For me, the most important part of plotting was dividing the manuscript into three acts, and knowing the basic events in each one. For me, the second act is the longest, about 50% of the total length of the book. At the end of the second and third, I put a major event, a cliff hanger to drive me into the next act. Those events I knew before I started, even if they changed a little as I went.

In all of the plotting going on, I think it is really important not to forget the characters. Often times they will come to me, whisper something in my ear (or hit me over the head with it) and things can change drastically. I have learned not to fight those moments, but embrace them and trust my characters. After all, they know best, and my plot has never suffered for it, but only become better.

So, I want to hear, are you plotting something?